Mount Aitoyuki
by iKoffeeholic
Summary: Second year Naruto Uzumaki has a crush on senior Sasuke Uchiha, and there's no better opportunity to get close to him than this ski trip coming up. But there's one problem. His best friend Sakura Haruno has a crush on him too, and he's got no idea how to pay for the trip. Will the stars in heaven align to allow him to be with his crush?
1. Chapter 1

**Mount Aitoyuki **

_Yeah, Cheesy Title_

A SasuNaru Chapter Fic

Composed by:** iKoffeeholic**

**iKoffeeholic's Word: **Glad you could stay with me. I'm getting sick of the snow where I live, but at least I don't have to shovel driveways. And I love all my yaoi fans equally no matter what pairings ya ship, but can I please play with KibaHina this time? I just like how it looks. Okay, here we go! (A little OOC Sakura warning)

**Mount Aitoyuki**

"Settle down, students," yawned Kakashi-sensei. "The Board of Education is being nice this year. They're allowing us to go on a half-expense paid ski trip on Mount Aitoyuki."

The classroom erupted with gasps and cheers. Naruto and Sakura cheered the loudest, but were instantly silenced.

"But there is a catch, Haruno. Uzumaki." He picked up a stack of permission slips and sat them on a desk. "Your upperclassmen were already given first dibs, so there's only a limited amount of seats left on the buses for second-year and first-year students. First come, first serve, and you have two weeks to pay in full. If you want to go, get your papers signed and have your money ready starting tomorrow. You can pick up a permission slip after the bell rings."

The bell finally rang out its clangy clang to signal the end of another school day. But before Naruto and Sakura could leave their desks, their classmates charged at the permission slips with the force of a pack of jungle animals.

"I got one! I got one!" Kiba cried as he hid the floor with a loud thud, only to be trampled by others. Someone's foot landed between his legs. "Ow! My nuts!"

Ino sarcastically apologised. "Sorry Kiba, but I've gotta grab a seat next to Uchiha-senpai!"

As soon as she heard her say that, Sakura scrambled over the desks to snatch up a paper for herself. "Oh no you don't, Ino-pig! I'm sitting next to him!" And then the girls landed themselves in a childish shouting match.

"Nuh-uh!" Ino spat.

"Uh-huh!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"If you girls don't stop that, neither of you will be sitting next to Uchiha," said Kakashi over the commotion. "You'll have the joy of sitting with either me…" he cleared his throat and eerily hissed, "…or Yamato-sensei."

Ino and Sakura shrieked. "Okay, okay! We'll be good!" they cried in unison.

Naruto didn't want tangle himself in the mess, so he sat in his desk and waited for everything to cool down. He knew that Sakura had his back. She'd get him one anyway. In the middle of his gazing-out-of-the-window session, a finger tapped him on the shoulder.

"Huh?"

It was Hinata. "Um…hi, Naruto-kun. You can take mine since I won't be able to go," she said.

Naruto felt a surge of concern wash over him. He asked her, "But why not? I don't wanna be nosy, Kiba's going and you're his girlfriend…so…"

She turned red.

"I won't tell anyone, Hinata."

Hinata sighed and leaned in closer. "I-I'm afraid of heights. And you have to go down big slopes to ski. I didn't want Kiba to feel bad, so I told him I was busy that day."

"Hinata, there's nothing to be scared of. You can always do bunny slopes, or just chill out in the lodge and sip cocoa," Naruto told her. "But if Kiba doesn't know, you should tell him."

Then Kiba walked up to them wearing one of those big grins of his. "Hey babe, are you sure that you're busy? I'll pay for you to go." He pouted like a puppy-dog when she looked away from him. "What's the matter? You're not scared of heights are you?"

She rested her head on his shoulder. "Yes…" Like a loving boyfriend would, Kiba wrapped his arms around her.

"It's fine. We don't have to go skiing though. We can just cuddle in the lodge and sip cocoa." Naruto nodded his head in approval, and Kiba placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Thanks, Kiba."

Slicing through moment, Sakura had brought Naruto a paper. "Hey Naruto, we get to stay overnight!"she shouted.

Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata whipped their heads around. "WHAT?!"

Sakura went on, "We get ski all day, each lunch and dinner, spend a night in their hotel, and eat breakfast in the morning then go home! That's what!"

"That's amazing, but there's one thing." Naruto began. "How much do we have to pay?"

Sakura scanned the paper for the price. She looked up and said, "Twelve thousand yen."

"WHERE THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO GET THAT KIND OF MONEY?!" Kiba screamed. "I'm sorry babe. Maybe we can just stay home and enjoy the winter carnivals. No worrying about heights."

Hinata brightened a bit, but still looked a little bashful. After scanning the paper himself, Naruto then commented, "Isn't Mount Aitoyuki near the Hidden Snow Village? You know, the place with all the amazing carnivals and restaurants and ramen?" He licked his lips after saying ramen.

"Yeah, that's the one," Hinata said. "My mom and I usually go every summer. But Kiba don't have to stay here. We can go just for the carnivals."

"But Hina..." whined Kiba. "You don't have to pay for me. I can take care of us!"

Naruto gazed out of the window again. He knew he'd have to do some serious begging when he got home. His mom wouldn't mind, but she'd want to tag along as an embarrassing chaperone just to visit the shops. His dad would be a little wary since his test grades haven't been looking so good this semester. And his older sister Kyuubi, who was at university at the time, wasn't going to be kind enough to loan him any extra cash. Uncle Jiraiya gave him a little allowance for helping in his bookstore, and Naruto had already used that up.

Naruto really wanted to go so he could play in the powdery snow and do a little shopping with Sakura. But his real intentions were set on an upperclassman—Sasuke Uchiha. He was an athlete, the most valuable player in every sport—on the tennis team, the soccer team, the rugby team, the basketball team, the debate team—every single team he tried out for. His silky black, windblown hair, deep dark eyes, chiselled jaw line, and his toned muscles and ass(et) made up his godlike physique.

Naruto already told Sakura he was bi, though leaning more towards guys. However, telling her about his crush on Sasuke would probably ruin their friendship since she liked him too. Well, every girl at Konoha Academy liked him at some point.

Anyway, Sasuke was obviously straight. He'd been through about six girls this year alone, and rumour had it that he was about to break up with his current girl, Karin. Maybe he was tired of girls. Maybe, if the stars and planets in the heavens decide to align in a magical order, Naruto will get the chance to talk to Sasuke and end up his boyfriend. _Forever and ever_.

But too bad. Naruto had almost no means of getting the money to go.

"Eh hem…" coughed Kakashi-sensei. "The bell rang ten minutes ago, kids. You can go home now." He grabbed his briefcase and headed for the door, gesturing for the kids to follow him out.

Kiba, Hinata, Naruto, and Sakura gathered their things and left as told. On the outside, they went their separate ways. Kiba walked Hinata home, and Naruto decided to stick with Sakura for a while.

"So, Sakura," Naruto started. "Are you going skiing?"

She smiled at him. "Hell yeah. Wouldn't miss it. You going?"

The blonde cocked his head to the side. "Uh…yeah, but I don't know how I'm going pay for it. Kyuubi doesn't have any more favours for me to do, and I failed that last math test."

"Maybe I can help. You can work at my mom's gardens for a day or two."

"Sakura, don't worry. I'll find some way. How can I pass up an opportunity like this?"

A coy grin grew on Sakura's face. "Who knows? You just might find a boyfriend on the slopes."

Naruto turned red. Sasuke was the only guy he could think about hooking up with on that field trip. He knew it was a one-in-a-million long shot, but getting close to him would be just enough.

The two turned the corner and walked in silence for a while. School traffic in the neighbourhood around that hour was usually heavy with honking, speeding cars, loaded buses, and squealing middle-schoolers. That day it was unusually light and quiet. A few more blocks up ahead and Naruto would be home.

"Hey Naruto, you wanna get some dango before you go home?" Sakura asked.

"I thought we were supposed to be saving money!" the blonde shouted. "Not spending it!"

She laughed jestingly. "Oh, okay. Just trying to see where your head was. See you, Naruto." The pinkette pulled out her cell phone and started jogging the other way. Naruto watched as she disappeared down the street, her pink locks blowing in the wind behind her.

'_That's Sakura for you,'_ he thought while he fished out his house key. He opened the door and kicked off his shoes.

"Naruto! I heard there's a field trip coming up!" sang his mother from the kitchen. The phone was slammed back onto the receiver.

'_Crap…Sakura must've called her mom…then her mom called my mom…'_ Naruto's inner self hissed. He went into the kitchen to straighten things out. "Yeah Mom. We're going skiing." He grabbed a muffin off the countertop and bit into it. "We don't have to pay full price though."

"But I heard you have to pay twelve thousand yen. Where do you think you're getting twelve thousand yen, young man?" Kushina sassed as she put her hands on her hips. "What happened to all that money you earned from helping Jiraiya at his bookstore?"

Naruto gave his mother the side eye. "Uhhh…"

"Well answer me, Naruto."

The blonde stuffed the rest of the muffin into his mouth to stall for a good answer. He knew what he did with that money—manga, video games, and anime collectibles—but telling his mom that would be the end of him.

Kushina seemed to grow impatient. She inched closer to his face. "You have until the count of five!"

It was either choke on the muffin or be choked by his mother's death grip, so Naruto swallowed the bread and caved. "Alright! I spent it and I don't have a sen left!" He backed into the fridge, expecting his mother to take a swing at him, but she didn't.

"Just wait 'till your father gets home," Kushina sighed. "In the mean time, you better figure out a way to get the money since I'm not paying for it." She picked up a muffin and took a big bite out of it. "Oh! And Sakura's mother offered you a little job at her gardens. Remember, every little bit helps."

Naruto marched himself upstairs to his room and flopped himself onto his bed. He glossed his eyes over his shelf full of manga, his cabinet lined with anime figurines and his two favourite Vocaloids (Miku and Len), and his anime and autographed Jpop posters. His eyes stayed focused on Light Yagami, who was frozen onto a gloomy background holding a red apple in his hand. How on earth was he going to take care of this situation he had no idea of. But the only way out of no way seemed to be parting with his beloved collection.

Sure Naruto had many things that collectors would love to possess, but he worked pretty hard to get a few of those things, namely the Jpop posters. That work was priceless in his eyes. Then again, getting close to Sasuke was on a higher rung of the ladder than Kinya Kotani.

Hopefully, nothing would come to him selling his prized collectibles on eBay.


	2. Chapter 2

**iKoffeeholic's Word:**

I love you guys so much, so I decided to post this chapter right away. If I'm not too toxed up this New Year's, you'll be getting story reboots of _Cheers, Beginning of the End_, and of course you'll get to read _Muggle Harry Potter_ if I'm on your alert list.

**Mount Aitoyuki Ch2**

The next morning, Naruto waited on the front porch for Sakura so they could walk to school together as they usually do. When he called her cell from the house phone, he was directed straight to her voicemail. Maybe she was busy begging her dad for a few extra yen before he headed off to work.

Naruto had rolled up a sausage in a pancake and took it outside to eat. As he got down to the last piece of the pancake, he glanced down at his watch. On top of Doraemon's smiling face the hands of the watch were pointing to a worryingly late time.

So Naruto got up and walked to school without Sakura. He tried to shake the nagging feeling that something had gone wrong, but it somehow grew stronger with every street he crossed.

The delicious aromas from the ramen shop wafted themselves into Naruto's nostrils as he passed. To put a damper on any temptation to spend money, he locked his wallet in his special place, the little hole in the wall behind his One Piece wall scroll. He giggled in his mind every time he thought about that stash; having pirates watch over your loot seems a little silly, even if they were just anime characters printed on fabric.

Once he got to the front doors of the school, he slipped off his sneakers and jammed his feet into his inside slippers. Before the bell could ring and declare him late, he dashed to class and landed himself in his desk. Then he saw her.

"Sakura! Where were you this morning?"

The pinkette took her seat and a deep breath. "I had to take a package to Mrs. Yamanaka's flower shop before I came to school. And I picked up some ramen on the way, but when I got to your house, I saw that you already left."

"You got me ramen?"—he saw the blue band going around the cup—"And it's pork flavour with extra pork cuts! Thanks, Sakura," Naruto told her as she got the cup out of her lunch bag. "I called your cell though. Why didn't you answer?"

Rummaging through the bag for a pair of chopsticks, she said, "My mom stopped paying the bill so I could have enough to go on this field trip. I guess I should've called you from the house phone this morning. Sorry about that, Naruto."

"That's okay." Naruto snapped his chopsticks and started slurping the ramen as if he hadn't had any in weeks.

Kakashi-sensei was running late as usual in the morning, but he wanted to get rid of his delicious breakfast long before he arrived. Kakashi hates it when students eat in class.

Naruto drained the cup of its broth and tossed it in the trash at the front of the room. When he sat down, their silver-haired teacher entered the room.

"Morning class," he yawned. "I was helping an elderly lady across the street not too long ago, so"—he paused to sniff the air from behind his mask—"Smells like a ramen stall in here. Hmm."

Naruto tried his best to look nonchalant. He glanced over at Sakura and saw that she was doing the same. Then Kakashi set down his briefcase and went into his usual routine. He called roll; oddly, everyone was present except Kiba. Kiba was usually late, but not this late. After tucking away his clipboard, Kakashi went to ski trip matters.

"All signed permission slips and may cross my desk at this moment along with full payments," he said in a business-like manner. "We'll deal with partial ones after I take these to the office."

Fortunately for Naruto, not very many got out of their seats. As Kakashi moved from behind his desk, his foot grazed the trash can, spilling the contents on the floor.

His visible eye caught sight of the empty ramen cup. "Alright, who had breakfast in class instead of the cafeteria? I know I didn't because I don't eat that flavour."

Naruto and Sakura snapped their heads toward the window to avoid Kakashi's eye. The rest of the class kept quiet and pulled out their textbooks as if Kakashi was about to teach. It seemed that they didn't want to sell out their classmate.

"Free pass on today's math quiz if the person confesses," Kakashi offered.

Naruto hadn't studied all month, and he couldn't afford another critical hit to his grade. However, he kept staring out the window, taking comfort in the sights that could be seen through it. Man did those birds flying by look interesting that morning.

Kakashi's eye focused on Hinata.

"Hyuuga, I'm sure you didn't eat any ramen in dear old Kakashi-sensei's class," the silver-haired instructor teased.

Instantly she turned pink and began to stutter. "I-I don't know, s-sen-s-sei. I got here l-late…"

"That's fine, Hyuuga. I'll investigate when I get back," he said brightly. "I really hate it when students eat in my class." With that he slid the door open and left the room.

Ino jumped out of her seat and pointed her finger at Naruto. "You better confess Uzumaki! Or else I'll break both of your legs so you won't even think about skiing!"

"Give it a rest, Ino –pig," Sakura defended. "It's not like we're all going to suffer over an empty ramen cup."

"Stop defending him, Billboard Brow!" Ino shouted back. "You're just as guilty."

Naruto still focused his gaze on the things in the window, allowing himself to leave the classroom. This time, he let his imagination take him on that ski trip. There he was, going downhill as he ploughed through mountains of powdery white snow, weaving through a forest of snow-dusted pine trees. The scene faded, and he found himself back at the lodge. Sitting on the couch next to him was that handsome Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto watched as he put a mug of cocoa to his soft pink lips, taking care to cast a wink in his direction. The raven put said mug down and turned his attention to Naruto. He cupped his chin with a gentle touch, but his hand still felt strong and manly against Naruto's skin.

The gap between their faces was slowly being closed, inch by inch. Their lips were just about to brush against each other so Naruto could taste the cocoa.

"Naruto? Naruto!" Sakura called out, interrupting Naruto's daydream.

The blonde turned away from the window and faced friends. Hinata and Sakura were staring him down with concerned looks on their faces.

"What?" Naruto whined.

"You were lost in La-la Land, weren't you?" asserted Sakura with crossed arms.

Naruto's whiskers got lost under his blushing cheeks. If only she knew what she had just interrupted. "I guess so. Sorry about the ramen trouble, guys. Should've stuffed if in my lunchbox," he said remorsefully.

"It's okay, Naruto-kun," Hinata told him.

Naruto flashed a small smile. "Thanks for not ratting me out."

"Hey Hinata, you know why Kiba didn't come to school today?" Sakura asked.

Hinata shook her head and said, "He texted me not to worry, but he didn't tell me even when I asked."

"Maybe you could stop by the animal shelter after school to see if his mom knows anything," Naruto suggested.

"It's not like he was kidnapped! No need to bring on a full-blown investigation now," said Sakura. "We can wait awhile. Maybe he's trying to collect some money to pay for the trip."

Hinata clinched her fist and put it to her chest.

Naruto tried to bring her spirits up with comforting words. He knew she'd be a little worried until he showed up, but he thought it would make the passing time less stressful on her. "He'll be okay, Hina. Kiba can handle himself."

Then the slid open again. Kakashi had returned for his investigation of the empty ramen cup.

He stood in front of his desk and cleared his throat. "Alright, who had the ramen?"

**Mount Aitoyuki Ch2**

Lunchtime had come, and Naruto and the girls escaped to the cafeteria. Still, no one had confessed to the ramen incident, but it seemed that Kakashi decided to let it go. As Naruto pried open his lunchbox, the popular upperclassmen crowd strolled in.

Sasuke, his girlfriend Karin, Jugo, and Suigetsu all had that leisurely I've-got-all-the-time-in-the-world stride. They walked to their special table in the middle of the cafeteria, which gave them the tallest seating in the school.

Naruto desperately wanted to sit in one of those high chairs before he graduated, but it seemed like an impossibility. He could only go there in his daydreaming state. He must've entered his daydreaming state again since he began to hear the far-off yet nearby calling of Sakura's voice over the muffled conversations of other students eating.

"Earth to Naruto!" her voice sang. "Any sign of life in that brain of yours?"

Naruto snapped back into consciousness. "Uh… Yeah. I'm okay."

"You were thinking about Sasuke," she chirped as munched on a potato chip.

Instantly, Naruto's face was washed in red. "Was not! He's waaay out of my league!"

Sakura giggled and drank her milk. Naruto started eating his sandwich, occasionally glancing at the popular table. He noticed how bored and regal Sasuke's glowing pale face looked as he listened to his associates chatter on and on about what sounded like the ski trip coming up. Naruto wished he could dream himself into the raven's thoughts and find out what was under his mysterious façade. Alas, he was so dense even though he hung out with people that appeared to be so shallow.

Naruto hoped he'd find away to pay for the trip soon. Then he remembered what his mom told him yesterday.

"Sakura, I think I'll start working with you at the gardens. Does your mom still have a spot available?" he asked his friend.

The pinkette cocked her head to the side. "She needs all the help she can get this time of year. All the flowers are about to die, and they need to be put in the greenhouse before it snows."

Hinata sat down and joined them after a long wait in the dessert queue. Naruto saw that she still had that disappointed/worried expression. She miserably forked some sponge cake into her mouth. But her worries were lifted when someone walked through the doors.

"Kiba!" Naruto and Sakura cried in unison.

Hinata dropped her fork.

The brunette sauntered to their table and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. "Sorry I made you worry, babe. But my plan worked out, and we're both going skiing," he said coolly as he patted a lump in his pocket.

"Glad you're back, Kiba," Sakura sighed. "We were about to call the police force to find you."

Naruto prevented himself from slipping back into La-la Land to be with his friends. "Where were you anyway?"

Kiba shook his head and zipped his fingers across his lips. "I'm not telling."

"Come on! We're your friends," pouted Naruto. "We won't tell if it was illegal."

Kiba sat down. "Still no, but I'll give you a hint if you buy me a chili dog. I haven't even eaten breakfast yet."

**Mount Aitoyuki Ch2**

The school day went by, and Naruto and Sakura ready to dash out of class as soon as the bell rang. Kiba had to serve a detention for being tardy that morning, but he didn't seem to care. Naruto saw Kiba as happy about getting stuck with Kakashi an extra hour than he had to. He tucked his math book into his bag and rested his head on his desk. He debated with himself whether or not he should tell Kakashi-sensei about the ramen. Then, shattering his train of thought, the bell rang.

He sat up to gather his things. "I'll meet you outside, Sakura," he said with a yawn.

When the room cleared, he marched up to his sensei's desk.

"Yes, Naruto?"

The blonde bowed his head and apologized, "I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei. I had the ramen this morning."

Kakashi looked up from his book to meet Naruto's face. "So it was you?"

"I know you hate it when we eat in class but—

"But you've never heard the second half of my pet peeve," he said after he closed his book.

Naruto was confused. "Huh?"

"I don't like it when students eat in my class…when they don't have enough to share," he said brightly. "With me that is, but just don't. I don't like it when the mice come either."

Almost relieved, Naruto bowed again. "Thank you, sensei. And could you let Kiba out a little earlier?"

Kakashi went back to reading his book. "Not a chance. He owes me for the other tardies."

The blonde turned around and mouthed, "Sorry Kiba."

Kiba just gave him a sly smile and gave a thumbs-up.

**Mount Aitoyuki Ch2**

Naruto and Sakura followed their usual route from school with the exception of a turn in the other direction down main street to get to the gardens. Naruto tried his best to ignore the beckoning smells of savoury ramen, crispy fried chicken, and freshly grilled burgers. He stopped by the entrance of a ramen shop just to take in the scent of sautéed pork cuts, but Sakura grabbed him by the backpack and dragged him on. He hated not being able to buy ramen after school like he normally did at least every other day.

They made it to the tall iron fence that wrapped around the perimeter of Haruno Gardens. It seemed that the flowers were bowing toward the ground with winter closing in on their limited lives, but many still remained green despite the fresh chill.

Walking down the cement path beyond the front gates, Naruto took in the segregated patches of flowers. Each patch was encircled by a tiny white fence and had one type of flower blossoming inside. He spotted wilting daisies, browning red roses, and a still-green cactus-like thing poking through the soil. When he stopped walking, he noticed that Sakura had led him into the greenhouse upon the hill.

"Hi Zetsu," Sakura said to a whitish man trimming foliage off what appeared to be a stone bust. "Have you seen my mom?"

The man's mouth slithered into an eerie smile. He addressed Sakura sweetly, "Yes, Miss Sakura. She's in her office handling orders. And hello there, Naruto."

"Hey, Zetsu. What's that supposed to be?" Naruto asked.

Zetsu smiled even wider. "It's a Zetsu gargoyle that sprouts flowers from its head. Isn't it marvellous?" He turned around only to reveal that half of his face was black. Naruto jumped back in horror.

"Halloween's over, Zetsu! And what happened to your face?"

"Hmph!" he said. The man seemed to have been offended. "You obviously have no taste." He went back to trimming his gargoyle head. "This stuff on my face is just a little topical cream made from some plants in the garden. I have some left over if you'd like to try it," he cooed, winking at Naruto.

Naruto cringed a little. Kindly he declined and told him, "No thanks, but I'll keep it in mind."

The two set off for the main building of the gardens after leaving the greenhouse. Naruto was already given the impression he had a sure-thing. His mom told him Mrs. Haruno had offered him the job, and Sakura said she needed all the help she could get. However, worries still lingered on his shoulders.

They passed the fountain in the lobby and went down the hall to her office.

Sakura gave the door a quick knock. Naruto could feel his heart in his throat, thudding and threatening to pump vomit into his mouth.

"Come in," Mrs. Haruno's voice chimed.

**Koffee A/N:**

Cliffhanger! Dun dun DUUNNN!


	3. Chapter 3

**iKoffeeholic's Word:**

Bear with me…I just had my wisdom teeth pulled yesterday and I feel TERRBILE for not updating. Writer's block + cold + overly-talkative bf = delayed updates. Still love you guys.

**Mount Aitoyuki Ch 3**

"Hey Mrs. Haruno," Naruto shakily greeted his friend's mother.

The older blonde swivelled away from her computer and dusted cookie crumbs from her burgundy suit jacket. "Oh, Naruto! You're just the person I was looking forward to seeing." She flashed him one of her famous smiles.

Naruto felt as if he was going to puke on the floor at any moment. Sakura's mom was nice, but her kindness somehow always intimidated people. He kind of felt sorry since it was like taking advantage of her kindness. It wasn't like there was anything his family could do for Sakura, but there was that time Sakura's parents went out of town and let her stay with Naruto for a week.

Naruto brought up the job offer first. "Uh, Mrs. Haruno, I know you know about the school ski trip, and I was wondering if anyone took the position you had open. My mom told me you'd give me first dibs."

Mrs. Haruno took another bite out of a cookie and said, "I wanted to know if you wanted the job first, before I decided to advertise it, and you seem like you could use it more. Do want the job, Naruto?" She was still smiling, making Naruto even more uneasy.

But he shouldn't be nervous. It was a guarantee. All he had to do was say "yes" and he would have enough to go skiing with Sakura and possibly get a whiff of Sasuke in the lodge.

The young blonde began to weigh all the odds he could come up with. Taking the gardening job would get in the way of his afternoon anime and video games, and he was already behind on homework. The money would be great, but what about his happiness? Then again, just taking a chance on getting close to Sasuke was important at the moment.

Sakura elbowed him in the rib and brought him out of his daze.

"I'll take it!" he shrieked.

Mrs. Haruno's smile grew even wider. "Well you can start tomorrow after school. I'll have you running a few errands and mowing grass in the gardens with Zetsu. Sound fair?"

Naruto's heart sank into his stomach. There was no way he was going to endure getting his hands dirty. The way Sakura made it sound, he thought he would just be delivering a few flowers around town and sweeping the office. But no—pushing a heavy lawn mower and having to worry about dirt and grass getting under his nails? And working with Zetsu? Naruto didn't like getting dirty. Just the thought of doing man labour had him shaking. He was a pretty boy after all.

But Sasuke was more important that Levi now.

"I can handle that," Naruto finally said in a sigh.

Mrs. Haruno offered him the last cookie in the tray, and he took it with a jittery hand. Sakura snapped off the other half of it just in time.

"Sakura!"

The pinkette shoved the cookie half into her mouth and chewed. "Mom! You know I like lemon cookies," she whined. "Don't tell me that's the last box you had."

Sakura's mom let out a laugh and told her, "Sorry, sweetie. We'll stop by the bakery on the way home just in case your dad ate the ones in the fridge."

Naruto didn't care much for lemon flavoured things, but he gladly ate the peace offering. He thanked Mrs. Haruno and left the gardens to go home. He glanced down at Doraemon.

"I better get home before Mom chews my head off," he said to himself.

**Mount Aitoyuki Ch 3**

Back at home, Naruto had stretched himself out on his bed to stare at the posters on his ceiling. None of his idols seemed to have any answers to his dilemma, but their comforting faces were enough to take his mind off of what just happened. So what? He got a job that'll pay for the trip. Why not be happy? What was there to worry about?

"Primetime anime…" Naruto moaned into a pillow.

Well, what was there to worry about besides missing out on anime?

Naruto turned over and focused his gaze onto the street beyond his window. There was sun dipping into the horizon, preparing to bring on the evening. Naruto just wanted to be free of all these issues that never seemed to go his way. He constantly failed tests. He didn't have all the money he wanted. And when he did have enough, it never lasted as long as he needed it to. And then, the poor blonde was invisible to his senior crush—who probably wasn't interested in guys at all.

Naruto threw a glance at Len and Miku on his shelf. "Why can't my life be awesome like an anime? Plenty of good food, not having to worry about money, and plenty of hot guys," he sighed. "But hey, I've got a job, and I'll have enough to give you two another playmate on the shelf." He imagined the Vocaloids laughing with him.

"Naruto! Come on down for dinner!" his mom called from downstairs.

He leapt off his bed. "Coming!"

The blonde skirted downstairs and bumped into a red-jacketed mountain when he turned the corner.

"Uncle Jiraiya!" Naruto threw his arms around the mountain for a hug.

"Hey there, Naruto," Jiraiya chuckled as he lifted his blonde nephew off his feet. "How've things been going for you?"

"Pretty good, I guess."

Jiraiya patted him on the head. "Kyuubi came home anytime this week? I haven't seen her in the bookstore in a while, but I've seen her boyfriend around. Darui wasn't it?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. No, Kyuubi hadn't been by lately. Not even a phone call, but he knew there wasn't anything wrong. She was probably busy with her job, her homework, and yes her boyfriend, Darui.

Jiraiya pulled off his jacket and draped it over a chair in the living. "And Kushina, I hope you haven't burned anything yet. I'm kinda hungry," he called into the kitchen.

Minato grabbed the remote and turned down the volume on the T.V. "Careful, Jiraiya. She'll over-spice your food again. We're having curry."

Jiraiya went over to the couch to ruffle Minato's blonde hair. "I like things spicy. And it sure doesn't smell like curry from here. Pew!"

They both shared a teasing laugh loud enough for Kushina to hear them. She had just finished stewing the curry over the stove. The cabinet door was flung open and her hands ghosted the shelves in search of a certain bottle. Another bowl was plucked from the sink so she could flavour another batch of curry without hurting her darling son. Viciously she shook the little red bottle into the bowl and tipped the steaming curry in. Trying to hold in a cackle, she stirred the bowl like a witch over a cauldron.

"Mom, are you okay?" Naruto asked as he sat at the table.

"I'm fine!" she hissed curtly, making Naruto jump a little. She put down the spiked—err spiced curry and set the pot of rice on the table. "Time to eat, boys," she cooed to the men in the living room.

Rubbing his hands together, Jiraiya sat himself down at the head of the table, which gave him a clear view of Kushina's face. "Smells good, Kushina. You know I love your cooking," he teased.

Naruto could feel a negative aura oozing from his mother, her face straining to keep a proper smile.

"Uh, Uncle Jiraiya, Dad, you might wanna have more rice than curry tonight," Naruto warned worriedly.

She fixed Minato's plate, accidentally splashing some hot curry on his cheek. The older blonde spooned the food into his mouth and said with water running from his nose, "This is wonderful, dear. Best curry ever." His cheeks turned red from the intense spice.

A frightened and unsure grin had found itself on Jiraiya's face. He was too afraid to question his nephew's wife, but his lips let sounds escape. "Kushina, I—"

But Kushina, in effort to be a good hostess, filled the man's plate with a healthy serving. "Don't be silly, Jiraiya. A man's appetite"—she plopped a large spoon of rice onto his plate—"is cured by"—followed by another spoon of rice—"man-sized"—and she drizzled the separate bowl of curry over it—"proportions!" she hissed.

They winced at her.

"EEEEEAT!" she bellowed.

And he dove into his curry on command. The beef chunks and the rice were enjoying a happy wedding in the sauce until too much spice came along. Then Jiraiya's tears crashed the reception. It was just too spicy. The white-haired man and the older blonde looked at the redhead with redden faces gasping for cool air—or more likely cool water.

"You want water, boys?" she asked them with a coy smile on her lips.

They nodded miserably.

"Apologise, Jiraiya! If you're going to eat my cooking, at least respect it!" she shrieked with the fury of a harpy.

Naruto was lucky to have most of his mother's affection, second to his father and Kyuubi. He nibbled at his curry, and to his surprise, it was edible, as in not fatally spicy. As his uncle and dad gulped down water as if it were going to disappear forever, he cleaned the curry and rice from his plate and waited for a good opening to tell everyone the news. Then it came.

"Mom, Mrs. Haruno gave me the job," he said matter-of-factly. Wide grins lit up the table as a result.

"That's great, Naruto," his dad told him, still nursing his thirst with water.

His mother was beaming as brightly as ever. "My little man's taking on responsibility. Sooner or later you'll be driving around on your own, taking Sakura out to dinner, and—"

"Mo-om!" Naruto whined. Moms always seem to push their kids out the door even when they know they'll suffer empty nest syndrome. She still didn't know about Naruto's inner desires, and anytime soon wouldn't be very good for telling her. But having a best friend like Sakura as a cover was decent living for the time being.

"Hey, what was wrong with working at the bookstore with your Uncle Jiraiya, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked, seeming a little hurt from Naruto's announcement.

"Nothing!" Naruto defended himself. "I just needed more study time after school!" He felt terrible. It was a bookstore after all. What better place to study? It had manga, peace and quiet. But Naruto didn't want to push things. Jiraiya hadn't learned what happened to that money under the cash register. He knew it went missing, but not how. Now Naruto wasn't the person it stuck to and walked away with. Naruto knew and didn't want to have to face them again. "Anyway, I start tomorrow after school," the blonde yawned.

Jiraiya sighed. "Well, kiddo. I wish you luck on the job."

He left the table and went back upstairs. Somehow, things were looking down and up at the same time.

'_Or am I just looking down when things are looking up at me?'_ he thought as he turned on the shower.

**iKoffeeholic's End A/N: **

Uncle Jiraiya? I mean that as one generation up…you know…as in being brother of Minato's dad maybe?


End file.
